


Trust (Becoming the Man He Could Be)

by TheTruthBetweenRPF (TheTruthBetween)



Category: Bones RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-30
Updated: 2012-04-30
Packaged: 2017-11-04 14:23:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/394833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTruthBetween/pseuds/TheTruthBetweenRPF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He began to joke and smile again, and like in the past, his eyes started to sparkle every time he looked at his co-star.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust (Becoming the Man He Could Be)

David had looked like shit, a situation that had lasted almost a year, seeing him through the confirmation of his affair, the attempts to fix his marriage, and his divorce. Jaime's words had haunted him for months, lending themselves to his defeated air. _I can't trust you anymore, David. Every time you leave the damn house, I'm terrified that you're going to **her** or some other woman like her. I can't live in fear anymore._ Finally, he resolved to make a change.

In the months that followed, he began to look like himself again, gaining the weight he'd lost, losing the dark circles under his eyes. He began to joke and smile again, and like in the past, his eyes started to sparkle every time he looked at his co-star.

Everyone picked up on his turn-around, and he finally talked about it in an interview, letting the world in on the secret his family and friends already knew.

_It's a weird thing, you know? You've got this life, and it's great, but little things bug you. The things you never imagined, because fantasy doesn't pay attention to the details of reality. And you feel like you need an escape, because as great as your life is, it's not what you imagined it would be. So you find an escape. Some people drink, some people do drugs, gamble, whatever. I had an affair, that was my escape. Then, y'know, it came out, and my great life went to shit. ... Sorry, went to hell, I can say that, right? And my marriage, that died, and my wife left, and now I see my kids once a week. And for a while, I moped about it, like why'd this happen, why can't I be happy, that shi--stuff. One day it just kind of hit me, how much of a complete asshole I was being. I mean, I betrayed my wife, my kids, broke the trust and respect of my family and friends, and I was indulging in a freaking sob story, oh woe is me. And I just had to think, am I so fuckin' -- freaking, sorry -- entitled that I think I shouldn't have to deal with the consequences of my own actions? So, you know, I went to therapy, and I really... I'm making an effort. I've been a jerk to everyone I love, but I never saw that, because I was so damn focused on myself, just what **I** wanted. I really realized that I needed to grow the hell up, be a man. I really feel like I'm on my way to being someone I can really respect, you know?_

It was raw, painful to watch and listen to, and fans commented on it for weeks, confused by this man who had always been so child-like and playful -- who was he becoming? They couldn't understand, but that didn't matter to David. **He** Understood who he was becoming, and as he had said, it was a man he could respect. Slowly, he worked to be who he wanted to be, and slowly, he regained the trust and respect of the people around him.

It took time for him to feel comfortable in his own skin, and by the time he was, _Bones_ was ending, bringing tears, hugs, and a huge party. Although the cast and crew had come to understand this new David, this more mature man (although he still couldn't resist smearing cake on Hart's face), the press was not so lucky. Questions and confusion made a somewhat awkward evening, and he finally had to slip out, taking a moment to gather himself.

Emily followed him out, and if anyone had asked her why, she wouldn't have been able to give them a reason. _Because he's David, and she's Emily._ He smiled at her when he noticed her presence, and, maybe because of all the press questions, she couldn't help comparing him to the old David. His smile was warm, inviting, and held none of the pretense or cool, calculated charm he used to exude, and she found herself smiling back softly.

They talked for quiet moments, and when he admitted that he couldn't stand the questions, particularly those direction toward his motivations and intentions, she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him and lightly resting her cheek against his shoulder. _It takes time, David. They don't see you every day like I do._

He returned her embrace, closing his eyes and pressing his face into her hair, inhaling the scent of her, something fruity and spicy, and he reminded himself that he was moving **away** from the habit of taking what he wanted, damn the consequences. So he held her, leaning back against the wall and allowing her to rest comfortably, casually, against him.

After a while, she looked up at him, and spoke. Her eyes distracted him, that mysterious mix of pale blues and greens, the gold ringing her pupils a fractional reflection of her value in his life. He asked her to repeat herself.

Her eyes shone with amusement and he almost missed her words a second time, before pulling his focus to her voice. _I'm glad you are who you're becoming._ He questioned her. _Before, you were like... a brother, a childhood best friend. Someone to goof off with, but who annoyed me when I wanted to be serious. Now, it's the best of both worlds. You still have fun, are still that huge dork you've always been... but now there's **more**. I can talk to you. I know that I can trust you with anything._

There it was, the crux of everything he'd been dealing with for the past two years. Trust. And he couldn't stop himself from asking about her heart, despite his firm resolve to stay away from her, to not indulge in this... thing, afraid of hurting them both, but more afraid of hurting her. Her smile gave him the answer, and his heart hurt in a way it hadn't in a long time. When her soft palm cupped his stubble-rough cheek, eyes questioning, he broke and confessed his fears and doubts, his promises to himself, and to her, although she'd never heard them before.

_David._

Never before had he heard his own name spoken like that, the quiet love in her voice, the resolve, the... **trust**.

_That you'd give up the chance for what you want, because you're afraid of hurting me... don't you get it? David, that **proves** to me that this is the right thing. That I'm right to trust you._

And he stared at her, drinking in her expression, reading everything she didn't say, everything they weren't ready to speak, or to hear. His eyes must have answered her, because then she was leaning up, and her hand slipped from his cheek into his hair, and nothing in the world could have stopped him from lowering his lips to hers at that moment.


End file.
